


Christmas Tracks

by Song of the Rails (DisneyGirl1901)



Category: Polar Express - All Media Types, Thomas the Tank Engine - All Media Types
Genre: Conductor Backstory, Gen, Living Polar Express, Magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-14
Updated: 2017-07-25
Packaged: 2018-08-31 01:26:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8557864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DisneyGirl1901/pseuds/Song%20of%20the%20Rails
Summary: The Conductor only heard of the Island in myths and whispers of children riding the fabled Polar Express. They hadn't picked up a child from that island since...well, before he was this train's conductor. But, what he never knew is that his duties go beyond that train ride every December 24th. Until now...





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Ladies and gentlemen, it's the holidays. Thus, I have been inspired. On with the show!
> 
> Disclaimer: I own neither Thomas The Tank Engine nor The Polar Express. Thomas belongs to Mattel (I think) and The Polar Express belongs to Warner Brothers, with the original book being written by Chris Van Allsburg.

"I can't believe it."

The Conductor barely took notice as he punched one child's ticket. It was the same every year. Bright and early a week before Christmas, the Pere Marquette would be brought out of its shed, taken for a few test runs to make sure everything was still working right, repaired if something wasn't working correctly, polished within an inch of its existence, and hooked up to the line of fully cleaned coaches. From there, the engine's crew waited until the signal from the Big Man, which came just after midnight on the 24th. From there, they traveled almost all over the world, picking up children who were on the brink of disbelief in Santa Clause. They would be taken to the North Pole, where one of them would receive the First Gift of Christmas, then they would be home not too long after midnight.

"...If this is real, I'm asking Mom if I can visit Sodor."

This sentence sharply brought the Conductor back out of his memories. He had heard that name come up in his duties every once in a while. It was often spoken in some kind of reverence, as if saying it could make it appear. But, the craziest thing was that it seemed somewhat familiar to him. He could never figure out exactly why, though. The children either brushed it off or gave the answer in riddles. Smoky and Steamer weren't any help either. They simply pretended they had no idea what he was talking about, but he suspected differently.

"Ticket, please."

As the young boy held out his ticket, the Conductor knelt down to his level.

"Tell me, young man. What is the Island of Sodor?"

The boy looked back as if the Conductor was crazy.

"Well, things are not what they seem, yet everything fits just right."

That's when the Conductor saw something. The boy's mouth was moving slightly differently than the words he was saying. The Conductor didn't mention it, though. He turned back to the child's ticket, a golden magic in his mind quickly spelling out the letters he needed to punch.

As he continued punching the children's tickets, he couldn't help but listen.

"Did you see her?"

"Yes! She's so nice!"

"She said she had so many stories to tell!"

"I hope I get to talk to her again when we reach the North Pole."

The Conductor paused as he took the ticket of one of the girls.

"Can I ask who you're talking about?"

Another girl giggled almost giddily as she held out her ticket.

"Perenna! I met her when you picked me up. She's so nice and..."

The Conductor mentally scanned through the list of passengers as he punched the next ticket. As far as he knew, there was no one by the name of Perenna on the train. The golden magic came forward again, giving the next couple of letters as he was handed the next ticket.

After punching the rest of the children's tickets, the Conductor left to sit in one of the empty coaches for a few minutes, mentally going over everything that had happened thus far. The children had been well behaved, there had been no lost tickets, everyone got onboard without anyone having to pull the emergency brake... But, something caught his eye. It looked like a man, albeit one who was only about 8" tall. But, before he could get a good look, the man disappeared in a whistle and a shower of gold.

The Conductor brushed this off as a trick of his eyes. After all, that was the same gold that gave him the letters to punch in the children's tickets. He picked up _A Christmas Carol_ , his favorite novel, hoping to get through one chapter before something happened to send him back to keep an eye on the kids. Maybe he could try to get a quick nap. He only did this run once a year, but that didn't mean it wasn't exhausting. Just take that trip a few years ago as an example, which included one of the most difficult kids he had ever seen.

However, what he didn't see was that the golden dust didn't disappear. Instead, it flowed towards him, as if it was attracted to him. It curled around his feet, crawling up his shoes and legs. The Conductor didn't feel anything as it crept upwards, up his legs to his chest. Once there, it settled over his heart, glowing softly as it stayed until he finally stood up. A few specks were knocked away, but the rest melted into his skin.

The Conductor could hear the children getting a bit restless, so he got up to try and calm them down, maybe get them a snack. But, he paused for a moment before checking the windows. He could have sworn he felt a chilly draft coming in just as he stood up. He had felt so warm as he was sitting there, too...


	2. Chapter 1: Reveal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Conductor isn't the only one...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty, the first chapter is here! Man, that was quick. On with the show!

Finally, it was here. The Conductor always loved Christmas Day, if only because it meant that he started his 364-day long vacation. Of course, it didn't mean that he didn't do any work in between Christmas Eve trips. Sometimes, he was called on as an extra set of hands in the various areas of the North Pole. But today wasn't one of those days. The entire North Pole had the day off, the engine was safely tucked away for next year, Smoky and Steamer were who-knows-where, there was some hot chocolate and _The Gift of the Magi_ by his favorite armchair...

Suddenly, the door was flung open, letting in a cold draft. There, in the doorway, was a person. It couldn't be an elf, for this person was much taller, and it wasn't the Big Man or his wife, since the outline wasn't right for either of them. The mystery person stepped inside and shut the door behind him. Now, the Conductor could see that this person was a man, with a black, neatly trimmed beard. But, that was far from the oddest thing. He wore a uniform, similar to what British conductors' uniforms looked like; similar to his own uniform. The man stepped forward and sat at the table across from the Conductor, smiling.

"Hello, James."

The Conductor, formerly known as James Naritz, looked shocked.

"H-How do you know my name?"

The man shook his head, amused.

"Come, now. Is that any way to treat your cousin?"

The mug of coffee James was holding slipped out of his hand and shattered into a million pieces as his mind ground to a halt.

_"Cousin?!"_

The man only nodded.

"Yep. On my mother's side. Born just a couple of months after I was, apparently."

He paused, again shaking his head.

"Where are my manners? I'm Ringo "Star" Conductor. It's nice to see you're continuing the family business."

James couldn't speak, so Ringo continued.

"How're you enjoying working with Perenna? Steamer says you've never had a train in late. Impressive."

"Wait a minute. You talk with Steamer?"

"Yep. Smoky too. They both kind of like you, ya know."

James took a deep breath, steeling himself for what he was going to say next.

"Okay. I have a question. Why aren't _you_ the conductor of the Polar Express?"

Ringo chuckled.

"Well, mate, I was a Conductor for quite some time and I wanted to try something different. Nicolas gave me the opportunity to help him out in his toy shop and I accepted. He offered me the position of Polar Express Conductor when it became available, but I turned it down."

He paused for a minute before continuing.

"But, ever since _that_ ride, Nicolas asked me to go along just in case. I'm not supposed to make myself known, just come with and make doubly sure everyone gets to and from the Pole without trouble."

James' eyes widened.

"You...you were on the train last time?"

"Sure was. You almost spotted me on the last couple of trips."

Ringo suddenly became serious and motioned for James to sit down, which the latter gratefully did.

"Mate, you must be wondering why you never knew about me. What do you know about your family?"

James shrugged.

"Not much. I lived as an orphan for most of my life. The orphanage I lived in was right by the railway lines. Every day, I would sit out for a while to watch the trains go by. It was the one thin that kept me sane. When I could go out and get a job, I went straight for railroading. When I was about to retire, the PolEx showed up outside of my house and the Big Man offered me the job. I've been doing it ever since. But, I'll admit sometimes wonder about who my parents were."

Ringo sat down across from James, reaching across the small, square table to place his hand on his cousin's shoulder.

"Your father and mother loved you very much. However, as you grew up, it was evident that the Conductor genes had not fully manifested. All Conductors are about 8" tall when fully grown, but you were only that short when you were a baby. Your parents were heartbroken, but they had to leave you in the real world, where you would fit in, size wise. By this time, you were a couple of years old, so the family altered your memories slightly and locked away your magic. That lock must have broken when you took the job on the Polar Express."

Ringo paused a moment before reaching inside his jacket and setting a wrapped box in front of James.

"Go on. Open it."

James hesitated for a moment before peeling back the wrapping paper. Inside the box was a beautiful golden whistle, engraved with his name.

"I...It's..."

Ringo smiled softly.

"It's your whistle. When a new Conductor is born, a whistle is crafted for them. They receive it when they either reach adulthood, which is 20 years old for us, or find their own station and railway to watch over. Until then, they sometimes get a substitute for travel and emergencies. I know a younger cousin who had a duck call for his substitute."

James looked closer. It was obvious this whistle was made with plenty of love and attention to detail. Not only did it have his name on it, it also had a crest with rails, a steam engine, and a whistle. James realize it had to be the Conductor family crest. Ringo continued as James investigated his gift.

"We are guardians of railways and their legacy. It is an honor for a Conductor to be in charge of the Polar Express. If you'd like, I could teach you how to work with the whistle, how to use it properly."

James barely hesitated.

"When can we start?"

"Tomorrow, when the Pole returns to work. Meet me by the engine shed. I'll need to check up on something."

With that, Ringo stood and, with a 'goodbye and merry Christmas,' he left, leaving a very confused and shocked, yet happy, Conductor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, a few quick notes. This is not The Conductor's true backstory. I made it up, but it is kinda interesting to think about. The event Ringo mentions about how he got to the North Pole is from "Tis a Gift," the holiday special from the first season of Shining Time Station, which I stumbled across a few months ago. Pretty much all the details about the Conductor family are my own, unless there was something I missed in my research.
> 
> Please review, favorite, and follow! I'm really inspired for this one and your support helps a lot!


	3. Chapter 2: Practice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new friend is revealed...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it is here! This chapter may answer some of your questions.
> 
> With that said, on with the show!

The next morning, as the Pole returned to work, Ringo met James outside the engine shed. There sat the Pere Marquette, the fire long put out. Ringo quietly approached the engine, staying around its front.

"Perenna? Are you there?"

There was no response. If he had been "normal," James would have thought Ringo was crazy. But, he had lived and worked at the North Pole for many years, so he really couldn't complain much.

Ringo started examining 1225 closer, glancing into its firebox and water tanks before circling back around to the front. James could hear him muttering under his breath.

"Only appears to younger children...never takes control...so far retreated..."

He turned back to James.

"Alright. Main lesson. You need to know how to work with this stuff."

He pulled out a cloth bag from his pocket and opened it. Inside, James could see the same golden magic he saw on the last trip.

"What..."

"Gold dust. The Conductor family mainly uses it for travel purposes, but my cousin George and I have managed to find a few more uses for it."

"Like what?"

"If you'll give me a few minutes, I'll explain one of them."

Ringo closed the bag and handed it to James with a glare that clearly said _DON'T LOSE THIS OR ELSE!_ He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a whistle. Blowing into it, a shower of gold dust engulfed him. When it cleared, Ringo had disappeared. James looked around from where he stood in shock.

"Hey! Bring that over here!"

There was Ringo, leaning out of 1225's cab. James walked over, climbing up and handing the bag over. Ringo opened it, again muttering.

"Poor girl, she's barely even there...let's hope this will help."

Taking a small handful of gold dust, Ringo tossed it inside of 1225's firebox, where a roaring fire instantly started.

_"Ut potiare corde."_

He quickly climbed back to the tender and opened up its water tank. Taking another small handful, he tossed the gold dust inside.

_"Tu lucretur animae."_

From there, Ringo climbed up to the smokebox, straddling the boiler and taking another small handful. But, instead of simply tossing it in, he slowly poured it down the engine's funnel.

_"Ut fructum vitae!"_

Climbing down, he motioned for James to stand beside him.

At first, nothing happened. James was just starting to think that it didn't work when, suddenly, a cloud of steam rose in earnest. It covered the smokebox, though a faint golden glow could be seen through it. The glow seemed to pulse and move, almost as if a fairy was lost in the cloud. All at once, there was a blinding flash. The two Conductors covered their eyes as the steam cleared away. When the light had dissipated, James got a big shock.

There, on the smokebox, was a face. It was distinctly feminine, with a slightly smaller nose and eyelashes. The eyes were closed, as if she was in a deep sleep. Ringo smiled, whispering so he wouldn't wake her up.

"It worked."

James blinked.

"H-H-How...?"

"This is one of those cases where even I can't explain it. But, here's what I can tell you. All engines, no matter what they use for fuel or who they were designed by, have a unique spark of life. Almost every kind of machine has this spark, from cars and boats to cranes and sometimes even planes. If they are exposed to gold dust, there's a greater chance that they could...develop that spark of life. Aside from the Lady, one of the greatest natural concentrations is on Sodor."

James' mind ground to a halt.

"So...on Sodor..."

"They're alive. They can see and feel and speak. There is still the chance that they could develop this spark without gold dust, but it's very rare and, more often than not, they don't have a face."

Before either of them could say anything else, there was a loud yawn from the engine in front of them. Turning back, they were just in time to see the eyes slowly open. Men and machine met eyes for a few moments before she spotted James.

"Mr. Conductor, sir! Oh, it's so nice to see you!"

James couldn't move for a moment until Ringo sharply nudged him

"Oh...uh...Hello. It's nice to see you too, Miss..."

"Oh! My name is Perenna. I was named after my railway, the Pere Marquette."

Ringo walked forward a bit, drawing Perenna's attention to him.

"Are you alright, Perenna?"

"Yes, sir. I feel fine."

Ringo fixed her with a glare. She resisted, but gave in after a minute, sighing.

"I do feel a little lightheaded and my wheels feel sore, but that's it. I promise!"

James thought for a minute.

"The sore wheels are easily explained. After all, you did have a long run with the Polar Express a couple of nights ago."

Ringo smirked.

"You're catching on, James. And it's fairly normal for you to feel lightheaded, Perenna. It should be gone within a week."

Ringo then turned to James, holding out his hand.

"Can I see your whistle for a minute?"

James nodded, handing it over. Ringo glanced inside it before dipping the whistle into the bag. He left it inside for about a minute before returning it.

"That should be full. Now, just blow strongly into in while concentrating on where you want to be."

He glanced around for a moment before pointing to a box not too far away.

"Try focusing on a spot near that box."

James nodded, hesitating for a moment before blowing sharply into his whistle. He disappeared, reappearing a moment later about a foot away from the box. Perenna blew her whistle.

"Well done, sir!"

James smiled as if the Polar Express had pulled in half an hour early.

Practice with transportation via gold dust lasted the rest of the day. It wasn't all easy, however. Traveling from one side of the shed to the other wasn't so hard. But, when James tried to appear in Perenna's cab, he ended up at the same height, but a couple of feet away. He wasn't severely hurt, but he did have a couple of nasty bruises in the morning. At this, Ringo decided that the lessons were to be put on hold for the time being.

That night, curled up in his warm bed in a fight against the freezing cold of the Pole, James studied his whistle again. He gently rubbed his thumb over the Conductor family crest, lost in thought. Only one day had passed since he had met Ringo. But, his life had changed so much within that amount of time. He had always been sort of an outsider and recluse. He had a true family. He felt wanted. However, valid questions still lingered.

_Why wait till now? Why haven't you told me before?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, a few notes. First, I have a goal for this fic. Christmas Tracks will be about 10 chapters and I'm hoping to get this completed by Christmas. It's a fairly reasonable goal, all things considered, and the season should help keep me motivated.
> 
> Second, for those who are wondering, I decided to make 1225 a female based on the song ( youtu. be/ qTWq_ RuHYNQ), which refers to the engine as "her." I chose the name Perenna because it was unique and it incorporates the "Pere" in Pere Marquette.
> 
> Third, in order, the phrases Ringo says are "May you gain heart," "May you gain soul," and "May you gain life" in Latin.
> 
> Last, I got the idea about gold dust from The Broken Mask (on FanFiction), then expanded on it a little bit. I'm not entirely sure if this same version will transfer to The Island.
> 
> Anyways, please review or leave kudos! Next chapter will be really fun!


	4. Chapter 3: Back Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James accompanies Ringo to see the latter's hometown and finds out something interesting...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, ladies and gentlemen! I'm still alive! My personal interest in this one fizzled out a bit after Christmas was over, but I managed to finish this chapter!  
> Also, the first person to spot a quote from another one of my favorite holiday movies in this chapter will get the next chapter dedicated to them! On with the show!  
> Disclaimer: No. I don't own the Polar Express or Shining Time Station.

"Alright, Ringo, why are we here again?"

It was about mid-June. The North Pole was far ahead of schedule and Nicolas, as Ringo had persuaded him to call the Big Man, gave everyone a couple of days off. Ringo had decided to use this opportunity to take a trip back home, wherever that was.

"Because you had previously said that you would like to see where I lived before."

James was walking through the town of Strasburg, Pennsylvania with Ringo riding on his shoulder. As expected, they had gotten a few funny looks along the way, but, thankfully, no one asked any questions.

"Well, I didn't exactly mean right now..."

James had never really been a social person, which was odd for being a conductor. Once he had gotten a job on the Polar Express, however, he found solace in being able to stay at home most of the time. Of course, there were a few parties that he attended for a little while, plus the train once a year, but he could deal with those.

As they approached a ice cream shop in the center of town, James reflected on what had happened over the past couple of months. He had gotten much better on traveling with gold dust, now easily able to travel from one end of the Pole to the other, no matter if it was at ground level or not. Ringo was continuing to teach him on the finer points of the Conductor family. Smoky and Steamer visited the Pole a couple of months ago to check up on 1225. Surprisingly, they didn't really have much trouble after they got over the fact that she was _alive_ , almost like it was normal for them...

"Hey, James, let's stop here for a minute. Sun's getting hot."

James only nodded in agreement, feeling like he was being baked.

There weren't many people inside, just an older couple at a small table and a family of three in a booth. James ordered a couple of cups of ice cream, Dutch Chocolate for both of them, and grabbed the booth right beside the family. As they ate, they could hear the two children talking while the mother was using the restroom.

"Sarah, why would you do that?"

"You were really excited to see it, John. I thought you would want to see it closer."

"It was really loud!"

"I didn't know that! How could I have known that?! It's been a very long time since we've seen one of those."

"You still didn't have to drag me up there."

"Again, you wanted to see it. I know you did, and you can't tell me otherwise. Besides, it wasn't as bad when we were in the car, right?"

"...No, but..."

"Exactly." The girl paused to take a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I took you up to see the train as it went through Cherry Crest. I'm sorry that I didn't know it was so loud. I'm sorry that, because of my stupidity, Mom got mad and we had to leave."

"It wasn't all your fault. Mom said she wasn't feeling well."

"I know. I think the heat got to everyone, though."

It wasn't too long until their mother returned and they left.

James glanced over to Ringo, who had paused from eating his ice cream due to a sudden brain freeze.

"Alright, how do we get to your house?"

"Gold dust. There's a little spot right outside of the Railroad Museum, which is just down the road. We stand there and whistle."

James nodded.

"Well, where can I stay while we're there?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe Stacy or someone can lend you a room for a couple of days."

James nodded absentmindedly as silence fell over the two of them.

After the ice cream, they continued down the road. It wasn't too far a walk to the museum, but the heat made it almost unbearable. As they got close, James could see the smoke from the Strasburg Railroad's engine, number 475, as it waited in the station. The summer crowd swarmed the platform and the nearby museum. Even as the sun baked over them, most people were still out. Ringo pointed out the right spot from his place back on James' shoulder.

"There it is."

Positioning himself over the area, James paused, waiting for a clear moment.

At a signal from Ringo, he blew his whistle. However, something was terribly wrong. He felt like he was growing, but his skin was staying the same. His head felt like it was going to burst. Everything felt stretched beyond belief. He yelled in pain before he suddenly blacked out.

* * *

The next thing James knew, he was waking up in a bed somewhere. Even though his headache made it impossible to open his eyes at that moment, he could still hear voices in another room.

"So, you're saying that, when he appeared here, he shrunk to our size?"

"Yep. It must have developed more than we thought. He was a normal person's height in Strasburg, but, once we crossed into Shining Time, he was Conductor height."

"Huh. Well, thank goodness for that."

James moaned, stirring slightly when his headache flared. He could hear someone rushing out of the room before four sets of feet came back.

"You alright?"

He could tell that it was Ringo speaking.

"Aside from my head splitting open, mostly."

Someone raced out of the room before coming back with something. Before he knew it, there was a cup being pressed against James' lips.

"Drink it up. It'll help with the headache."

James obeyed, grimacing at the strong lemon taste. But, it did work, allowing him to open his eyes after a couple of minutes.

Standing by his bed were four people. One he recognized as Ringo. One had a white beard and was slightly shorter than Ringo. Two were clean shaven, but one had a bandana around his neck and no cap. Before he could ask, Ringo spoke up.

"It seems we stumbled on a reunion. James, this is George "Carlin" Conductor, Alec "Baldwin" Conductor, and Michael "Rodgers" Conductor Jr. They're your cousins."

As they were introduced, each man nodded. James nodded in return.

"Pleased to meet you."

The bearded one, George, smiled to James.

"Can't believe you actually fit. How long have you been up at the Pole?"

James hesitated.

"I don't know. Years and years. I'm the third conductor for the train, but I heard the first one didn't stay too long."

The one without the bandana, Alec, grinned.

"Do you make any toys?"

The other one, Michael, gently slapped Alec upside the head.

"No, stupid. The elves do!"

James chuckled at seeing this.

"That's true. I'm sometimes asked to help out in the toy shop, but I've rarely made an actual toy."

James swung his legs over the side of the bed and slowly stood up. Ringo came over to him, placing a hand on his arm to make sure his cousin didn't fall over.

"So, you never did say exactly where you lived..."

Alec snickered.

"Withholding information, are we, Ringo?"

Ringo shot his cousin a glare before turning to James.

"This is Shining Time Station. Don't worry, most of the staff here know about the existence of us Conductors. But, you want to keep out of sight of the passengers."

"Good to note."

James paused a moment before truly registering that sentence.

"Wait. How is this house inside the station?"

Ringo smiled and blew his whistle again.

* * *

When the gold dust faded, James looked around to see they were standing on the back of a bench facing a signal house in a beautiful mural. Ringo motioned to the signal house.

"That's where we live, mate. But, the real view's behind you."

Turning around, James saw a beautiful old station. Up against one wall was the ticket desk. A woman could be seen busily working at the ticket counter while passengers swarmed the room. Music came from a corner, where there was a small arcade set up. Ringo smiled as he saw the beautiful mural stretching over most of the station. Ringo tapped him on the shoulder.

"Come on. Let's go back before we're seen."

And, with a shower of gold dust, they did just that.

* * *

That evening, after the station had closed, James sat at the table eating a wonderful dinner. Of course, Junior, as he had insisted he be called, was the most talkative of the group, spouting off stories from the island, both old and new. Alec cleared his throat before Junior could start another story.

"Have you see Anne and Gerald?"

Those names caught James' attention and he listened as Junior scoffed.

"Why would I want to see them? We all know what they did."

George and Alec nodded, but James turned to Junior, neither seeing Ringo sending the blonde warning signals.

"Who're Anne and Gerald?"

Junior was either ignoring Ringo's warnings or being very stupid.

"Anne and Gerald are disowned members of the Conductor family. A few years ago, they married and had a kid. Of course, it wasn't too long afterwards that it was discovered that Gerald was half-human."

Ringo had given up on warning Junior and was now praying that no one would be killed until explanations could be made.

"Long story short, the family chased them out and their kid, who didn't have Conductor genes and was getting a little too big. Last I heard, they were on Sodor. But, either they're not there or they're really good at hiding, cause we haven't found them yet. All we know is that they sent their kid to an orphanage somewhere in the States."

Suddenly, pieces started to fall into place. James shot to his feet, nearly knocking the table over in the process. He sharply turned to Ringo.

"Anne and Gerald. Who are they?"

Ringo paused for a minute before hanging his head.

"...Your parents..."

There was barely time to say anything else as James turned and stalked outside, slamming the door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap on Chapter 3!  Woah, a lot of stuff is going on for poor James.  Any thoughts on what might happen in the next chapter?  
> Speaking of next chapters, I promise I'm working on "The Island."  Chapter 6 was giving me trouble for a long while, but I think I finally figured out how to make it work.  This change might also help with future chapters.  To thank you for your patience, I'd like to announce that the title for Chapter 6 of "The Island" is...drum roll please... "Avoidance"!  
> Anyways, please review, follow, or favorite!  See you soon!

**Author's Note:**

> For those of you who are following my other story, The Island, don't worry. I promise I haven't abandoned it. I'm using this as a "Plot Bunny Feeder," so to speak. For right now, though, The Island is on the back burner until I can figure out how to untangle parts of the storyline.
> 
> Anyways, please review, follow, and favorite!


End file.
